John "The Gneech" Robey (the_gneech) wrote,
John "The Gneech" Robey
the_gneech

  • Location:
  • Mood:
  • Music:

Jennifer Crusie -- "Anyone But You"

Poking around recommendations on Amazon.com for "comic novels" eventually led me to Anyone But You, by Jennifer Crusie, a pretty straightforward romantic comedy. The reviews were all very similar: the author won praise for her light, humorous style and good use of "narrative devices," while this particular book, being one of her earliest if not her first, was described as being simplistic compared to her later fare.

Not having read any of her later fare, I can't really say, but I suspect the reviews are pretty accurate. The book was a very enjoyable, light read, but definitely a literary potato chip.

The plot centers around just-turned-40-and-divorced Nina Askew (gotta love those telltale names), who left her high-powered all-career-no-play husband and finds herself in a tiny apartment starting a new life. The story opens with Nina at the dog pound, where she intends to get a bouncy little puppy to cheer her up (her ex had a strong anti-dog bias), but instead finds Fred, a droopy and dour basset hound who's 24 hours away from the gas chamber. Before long, Fred has managed to get Nina introduced to Alex, her dreamy downstairs neighbor, a 30-year-old, completely not-interested-in-moving-up-the-career-ladder ER doctor and movie buff who is totally hot but completely off the prospective list for being ten years younger. While not-quite-wacky hijinks ensue, the story does amble along nicely from there to the requisite (if predictable) ending.

I read a few synopses of other Jennifer Crusie books and noticed a trend, i.e., they're all about middle-aged (but still got it!) women, recovering from life's slings and arrows while finding steamy love with hot guys. As I said to laurie_robey, "I think I'm detecting a demographic." It's been my experience that you can tell who a romantic book or movie is targeted to by who the less-attractive party in the pairing. If it's a dumb drip who lands a supermodel, it's for guys. If it's a stressed-out or neurotic gal who lands a hot guy, it's for the ladies.

To that end, Anyone But You is a by-the-numbers affair straight out of Writing the Romantic Comedy, from "the cute meet" to "the Bellamy." It's funny, charming, and enjoyable, but nothing that will knock your socks off. The sex scenes came off kinda silly, but then sex scenes almost always do. Having the protagonist being Smart And Sassy Gal on one page, then breathlessly saying, "Do things to me..." on the next, is a sure-fire recipe for snorts.

-The Gneech
Tags: reading
Subscribe

  • Warning: Politics

    I found these very interesting and think they nail the issue right on the head, and I'm leaving them here for others who might be interested as well.…

  • Reincarnation Report, Rough Session

    Yesterday and today I read Brian Weiss's book, Many Lives, Many Masters, which is basically a history of how he got involved in the field of past…

  • Meditation Journal– No Such Thing As Enough Sleep

    Meditation session was quiet and mostly uneventful. Had to open my eyes periodically because I kept feeling like I was going to drift off to sleep,…

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    Anonymous comments are disabled in this journal

    default userpic

    Your reply will be screened

  • 5 comments